Shadow of the Gun
by Tails or Heads
Summary: Years ago her brother had gone away, put into a group sent out to do the type of work that would leave one forgotten if captured. With a promise made, she'd gone about her own life even when he vanished. Now suddenly he's come back. While it's brought joy, it's also brought much more. Especially when she's dragged back into a life she'd thought she'd left behind.


_"What do you mean I can't come with you!?"_

 _"I mean you can't come with me, sis. It's too dangerous."_

 _"That's a load of bull, and you know it! I'm not scared of danger. Hell, I'm just as good a shot as you!"_

 _"I know, I know. But I'd rather have you here. The things I'm gettin' into…It's different, Sarah. I'd like to know I've at least got someone I can come back to."_

 _"…"_

 _"You know the folks don't want to see me any more. They haven't for a long time. You're all I've got left, and I'd rather see you fighting battles I know you can win then ones I'm not sure how even I'll turn out in."_

 _"…"_

 _"Sis, please…"_

 _"...Promise me one thing then."_

 _"Sure thing, sis. Anything."_

 _"No more of that talk. You ain't dying any time soon, ya hear? Promise me you'll come back. Otherwise everyone involved's gettin' a head full of lead."_

 _"Heh, alright. I'll tr-"_

 _"-No. No tryin'. Promise me."_

 _"…I promise."_

 _"Damn right you do. Now go out there and show 'em that the McCree's ain't to be trifled with."_

 **—(A few years later)—**

"You sure this is the place, Eddie?"

 _—I'm very certain! Everything pointed to the next shipment coming here, including the boy we brought in. A truck should be coming any minute now.—_

She shifted slightly in her hiding spot. Her fellow teammate tensed beside her, but she silently held up her hand and he relaxed. There wasn't any sign of their targets yet. Still, the tension was in the air. She couldn't argue against it; she was feeling on edge too. Her ears seemed to pick up every minuscule noise in the area as she hid inside the dumpster. It wasn't particularly glorious work, but no one would think to look for them there. The smell alone would've driven them off.

"Make sure you tell the others to try gettin' these folks to surrender instead of killing them outright." She whispered. There was a short snort from her earpiece.

 _—I don't really think these guys are the type to surrender, Sarah.—_

"Yeah, well, when we get done putting down the real troublesome ones, you'd be surprised how many would crack."

 _—Right…—_

"Just do it, Eddie. The less death, the better. Even for fellahs like these." The earpiece went silent after one last grumble. As dubious as Eddie was, he'd listen to her orders. Just in time too; she could hear the telltale noise of an approaching truck. In the once pristine silence, the sound stood out like a thunderclap in the night. Immediately she tensed, along with her partner. The noise was getting closer and closer to their building. Eventually there was the grating of metal as the way inside of the place was opened. Then came the faint sound of voices. Too soft to make out the words, but they were there. That was their cue. She pressed a small button on her earpiece to link her up with the rest of the team.

"Let's roll kiddos. No noise. Get this place secure and make sure no one runs off." Then she slowly opened the lid of the dumpster. The fresh air that whooshed inside was a relief to her senses. It might not have been exactly cool out, but it was far better than inside the metal box. She helped her partner get out before silently closing the top once more. Then it was go time, and together they creeped towards their target. Some decrepit factory that had been labeled for destruction some time ago, but never got it. Unfortunately it wasn't as abandoned as it should be. A gang had taken it over, sometimes using it during transaction deals. This time the merchandise happened to be a truckload of weapons. She'd been sent with her team to intercept it, and find some answers. No doubt she'd have to get them the hard way.

She paused once she got to the side door. So far she hadn't heard any alarming shouts, which was a good sign. Hopefully that peace would last. Carefully, she pushed out the door and surveyed the interior. No signs of a guard at the moment. With a gesture she made her way further in, her partner close behind. The closer they would get to the truck, the more dangerous things would get. Everyone on her team understood that. Still, it didn't make things easier when things went south. Softly they treaded closer, having to physically take down two guards on their way before moving forward. Incapacitated, but still alive. She figured they could pick them up on the way out. Finally they reached the loading area. The truck was there with it's back open, revealing the score of guns within. A group of people were talking near it, with others fanned out to guard the transaction. She frowned slightly and searched for her other teammates. It was probably a good sign she couldn't find them.

Probably.

Trusting in their abilities, she continued sneaking forward. Bypassing the guards became harder, especially since one shout would alert the whole pack. If only she had some invisibility cloak right about now. That would've been useful. Nonetheless, without the invisibility cloak she was able to get into position. She had a direct shot on the men in the middle. Some of the fanned out guards had disappeared, so she knew her team was out there. Now came the fun bit. She clicked her ear piece again. "Alright Eddie. Let's lose the light." She whispered, the words barely audible. She half worried he wouldn't be able to hear her. She didn't need to.

After a few seconds the power began to cut and the whole place was thrust into total darkness. She was already pulling her visor down and turning on the night vision when shouts began to ring throughout the building. Soon after that came the gunfire, and everything erupted into controlled chaos. Taking down the goons after that became easy. To her relief, most of her teammates were heeding her words and aiming not to kill but to incapacitate. Even if their targets weren't exactly returning the favor. Only a few minutes later did she give the all clear for Eddie to turn the lights back on. The truck, which had tried escaping, had been stopped by her teammates outside. After fire was exchanged for a time, some of the gang members had surrendered just as she'd predicted. Now her team was simply cleaning up and assessing the situation.

"Eddie we've got some folks who'll need medical treatment before we haul 'em in."

 _—Already on it.—_

"And Eddie?"

 _—…Yeah?—_

"Told ya so." The grumble she got in response made her smile, satisfied. It might've been a little petty, but she didn't care. Now she had to deal with the survivors and a truck full of armament. Her partner walked up to her after tying up one of the men. She offered him a wider smile. "Well, _that_ was fun."

 **—(A few years later)—**

 _Bark! Bark! Bark!_

"Now hold on there! I'm comin'! I'm comin'!" The shout came out muffled, hampered by a pillow. With a flurry of sheets and a mass of disheveled brown hair, she got out of bed and headed towards where the noise was. Her two dogs- massive creatures that had been given as gifts from a past life- were standing before the door. As soon as she came into view they ceased and whined affectionately. She idly pet them while struggling to put a shirt on. "Ya'll're makin' more of a ruckus than I can deal with right now." She muttered with a yawn, but pet them still. When she decided she was presentable enough, she unlocked her door and carefully opened the door. Her body tensed out of habit, ready for anything.

Anything except the person on the other side.

When she opened the door, she was greeted by an outlaw. Someone wanted for numerous supposed "crimes" across the land. But they wasn't what she knew him as. No, she had a different name for him.

"Howdy there, sis."

Brother.

She stared at him in a brief moment of silent shock. The similarities between the two were obvious: the jawline, the hair color, some facial features. But it was green eyes that widened in shock while brown eyes sparkled. Until he was tackled to the ground in a hug of course.

" _Jesse you pighead!_ " She yelled with joy, although her eyes were watering. Her dogs, seeing her go down with a thud, had jumped forward to defend her. However her happiness was infectious and they were soon joining in on what had become a snuggle pile on her front porch.

"W-Whoa there! Ha! You tryin' to injure me right after seeing me?" He asked, soon silenced by a lick to the face by one of her canines. "Ack! And where did these fellers come from?" He managed to get the question out before he was attacked with more "kisses." It inquiry was enough to get her to stand back up and wipe her eyes free of tears. Then she offered a hand to him, and yanked him up to his feet effortlessly. He blinked in surprise, but then grinned. "Hey now, here you are looking' strong, but cryin'? _My_ Sarah?" The tease earned a punch to the shoulder, which he rubbed ruefully.

"Oh can it, cowboy." She replied, roughly wiping her eyes once again and sniffling. "You expect me to keep dry eyes when my brother's been running' round gettin' blamed for things I know he wouldn't do? Not to mention the fact I haven't seen you in years now. So I'm allowed a few tears, darn it." Her eyes had dried now, replaced by a gleam similar to the one reflected in his own eyes. Her smile spread from ear to ear before she glance down and pat one of her dogs on the head. "As fer these boys, they were gifts from my old job. Cute, ain't they? I call this one _Jesse_ ," She glanced up with a certain mischievous look in her eyes, "An' this one Boone."

"You named a _dog_ after me?" The question came with a snort of amusement.

"'Course I did. Can't ya see the resemblance?" She courted down a bit, but she didn't have to go far. The canines were indeed massive, coming up to her hips in height. Thickly built, they resembled something close to huge Rottweilers.

"Might be surprising', but I can't say I do." He replied dryly. She chuckled and stood back up, gesturing towards him.

"Well don't stand there lookin' stupid. I can at least offer you a seat to get you off your feet. Can't help your appearance none, I'm afraid."

"Oh real smart, sis. Ain't you just the sweetest."

"Careful or I ain't gonna offer you food to go with the seat." She heard a scoff from behind her along with the scrapping of a chair. While he took a seat, she went through her kitchen and started preparing breakfast.

"So I'm guessin' I woke you up then?"

"That you did. Or at least the dogs did. Don't get too many visitors to the actual house. Most just come to the ranch."

"Really?" Genuine surprise was in his tone. "It's a lovely place. I haven't even seen the ranch part yet, but this seems more than enough to get ya all kinds of friends. And that's just the place. I ain't even gotten to your cookin' yet." Now it was her turn to scoff and glance back at him. Her eyes were narrowed in a glare.

"And you ain't saying nothin' 'bout my personality. What, that not good enough for people?" He held up his hands in mock surrender, an innocent smile on his fact.

"I didn't say that. I was gonna mention your wonderful personality in the next breath. Honest!" He said. She rolled her eyes and went back to cooking.

"' _Honest_ ' my left foot." She grumbled, going back to cooking for a while. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted her dogs sitting patiently. "How's about you make yourself useful and get those two some food too? Two full scoops for each." He raised an eyebrow but nonetheless listened to her. The dogs were suspicious at first, but once they saw the food they got over it.

"These two look fit to put down a _bear_. Where'd you say you got 'em again?" He asked, watching the two for a time.

"They were part of an experiment. Physically and mentally enhanced canines to be used alongside certain qualified individuals in missions. I just so happened to be picked for testin' 'em out. Jesse there was my first. When they saw how good we were together, I got Boone to train soon after. Once you bond, there's no changin' owners, specially when you get them as pups. I'm part of their pack now and ain't nobody who can tell 'em different." Upon her answer, he let out a soft whistle of admiration.

"Damn. Some fine friends you've got there then."

"Fine indeed. Although I just tell everyone else they're big from what I feed 'em." He glanced over at her while retaking his seat.

"Ye'? And what's that?" He asked, while she came over with a plate full of food and slide it over to him.

"Misbehavin' children of course." She responded with a grin while taking a seat across from him. He burst out into laughter and shook his head.

"Why am I not surprised you'd answer with somethin' like that?" She shrugged at the question and preceded to eat. They sat in relative silent for a while before finally he cleared his throat. She'd been observing him now and then with a flick of her eyes, so she could see his expression turned a bit more serious. "Sooo…I'm sure we've both got plenty of questions for each other." He started off. Her eyes went back to her meal and she took a few bites before nodding.

"Eeyup."

"So…Who wants to go first?"

"I think _I've_ earned that right." She said, her eyes flicking back up to pin him with her green gaze. He stared silently back, but eventually sighed.

"Ye'…Well, what've you got for me?"

"What in the blue blazes _happened_ to you?" She immediately asked. He sighed, taking off his hat and setting it on the table. Then he ran his fingers through it.

"Well…You see, when Overwatch-"

"No. Not _Overwatch_. I know what happened to 'em, 'kay? See, I'm askin' what happened to _you_. I'm askin' what happened to my _brother_. Like, for instance, your arm there." She pointed with her fork to his mechanical arm. "Last I remember, you had two arms made of flesh'n'blood." He sighed and leaned his head back to stare at the ceiling.

"Well…I lost it on a mission. One of my first. My team and I were goin' in to investigate some activity we'd gotten wind of. Some group called Talon that was plannin' out an attack on a city. I'm sure you've _heard_ of 'em before." He said, glancing down at her pointedly. She rolled her eyes and waved it off.

"I'm not the one in the hot seat right now, Jesse. Keep goin'." They shared a stare but he eventually gave in.

"Hmmph. Anyways…We were closin' in on 'em, but somethin' went wrong. Either they knew we were comin', or one of ours made a bad mistake. Either way we ended up having a shoot out. Durin' that, someone managed to hit somethin' they shouldn't've. Next thing we knew, the whole place started to blow in this big chain reaction. I managed to survive, but my arm wasn't so lucky. When Gab…When my leader found me, he had me taken back along with the other injured ones. The incident got covered up, and I got a new arm. We never let somethin' like that happen again." She eyed him after that, drinking from her cup.

"…It's alright though, right? Doesn't bother you?"

"Not a bit. Works better than my original arm ever did." After he answered she nodded a few times, mainly to herself. There was a brief, slightly tense silence between them; something that had once been rare. She knew what was going to come next.

"…So I guess it's your turn." The moment she said it he leaned his head back towards her. Her brother had always been a very calm sort of person. She could count on one hand the number of times she'd seen him genuinely angry. At that moment, she feared the number would go up.

"Right, well, I've only really got one question on my mind." He said with a calm tone, yet she could see the storm gathered underneath. It erupted as he slammed his metal hand down on the table, causing both her dogs to jump. "Why in the absolute hell did'ya go 'n do _exactly_ what I told you not to!?" He barked. She didn't respond at first, calming down her dogs who were eying her brother with hostility. Once that was done, her green gaze connected to his with a hard, stubborn light.

"Don't you go gettin' angry at me for that."

"Why shouldn't I? I told you I didn't want you gettin' yourself into the kinda trouble I was! And what did you do? _Not listen!"_

"Jesse would you jus-"

"I got to find out that my sis had gone 'n joined up with a group just like mine and-"

" _Jesse will you let me speak already?_ " The words came out sharper than she expected. It took him by surprise, but she wasn't about to apologize for it. Instead she leaned an elbow on the table and pointed right between his eyes. "After you left, I did _exactly_ what ya said. Despite all the good I saw Overwatch doin' I didn't try to join up. I didn't do anythin' to try gettin' in your little club. It was _them_ what came to me." She explained, gradually leaning back in her chair and folding her arms over her chest. "Eventually some agent came to the house. Said they'd been keepin' track of my progress. I'd been busting up more gangs then most people could remember. I'd brought peace to a place that had been riled up. They admired that and wanted me to join some kinda team. Yeah, it was an extension of Overwatch 'n kinda like yours. But what was I supposed to say? No? Jesse, they were givin' me a chance to help make the world an even better place. Ain't that what you were doin'? Ain't that what you _are_ doin'?" When she pointed it out, he just snorted.

"Ye', and look where it got me. Media's painting me like some kind of villain."

"Ye' but the people know you're doin' good. They know you're bringing justice wherever you go."

"…Maybe, but that still don't change the fact that you didn't listen to what I said. Sarah I didn't want you gettin' hurt. I _still_ don't want you gettin' hurt. You're a good gal, even if you've got a sharp tongue." He added with a faint smile before going on. His protectiveness was clear in his voice. "The media could've torn you apart and made you look like a villain too. You've already got a problem bein' related to me." She sighed and rubbed her temples. Despite her frustration, she understood where this was coming from. She was it. The last person he could consider family. The only one who'd accept him anyways.

"Look Jesse; I get it. Hell, I even could agree with it back then. I wasn't ready for somethin' of that magnitude. That's why I was fine just working with the police. That's why I was fine doin' my duty while you were out doin' yours. But I'm not a child anymore. You _don't_ get to make my decisions for me, even if they might end up gettin' me in trouble. Besides, that part of my life is over. When trouble started risin', they split up our group quick."

"That still doesn't change the fact you'd done it."

"Jesse, could you honestly say that if our roles were reversed you _wouldn't_ do the same?" Before he could answer she held up her hand to halt him. "And don't you go saying yes without lookin' inside yourself. _I_ know you. _You_ know you." Then she dropped her hand and watched. His mouth tightened and it was clear he wanted to retort. Yet they both knew the answer. She got up and collected their plates. "Look. What's done is done. We both signed up for somethin' that could've got us killed. I've come to terms with it, so now it's high time you did too. I'm not your baby sis anymore, Jesse. I _can_ take care of myself and I have." With that she headed for the sink and started to clean. There was only silence behind her before finally he let out a sigh.

"Damn. You're sounding more'n'more like Ma every day. Look like her too now." He said while joining her at the sink to help. The tension in the air eased and she managed to give him a smile again.

"And you're lookin' more'n'more like Pa every day yourself." Her comment earned a small groan from him.

"Oh now please don't say that. I like to think I'm better than _him_."

"Pa ain't that bad."

"Sarah he kicked me out of the house when I was just a teen."

"As I remember, you were sellin' weapons and were an active member of the Deadlock Gang."

"…Fair 'nough. But still, who in their right mind would kick out a face as handsome as this?" He asked while giving her a grin. She snorted and bumped his hip with her own, although a matching grin lit up her features.

"It's only a shame not as much work went into your personality." She responded dryly, drawing out a look of mock hurt from him.

"Ouch. Forgot I had a snake for a sister."

""N I forgot I had a mule for a brother. Now how's about you actually help wash instead of pretendin'?"

 **—(Later that day)—**

"Sooo…Fun as today was; how's about you tell me the _real_ reason you're here?"

The question certainly drew his attention. They were sitting on the couch together, blankets over both of them as the television flashed with an old western classic. After breakfast, they'd spent the whole day together on the ranch. Despite the dimness of the lighting, she could see his expression change from the content one he'd been wearing. Her eyes met his. The set of brown eyes were the first to turn away.

"There's been a Recall." He said quietly, staring at the television but not really watching.

"A Recall?"

"For Overwatch members."

"Oh." Silence ensued. She took a few sips from her steaming mug, idly petting the large canine that laid down by her side. "…I'm guessin' you're here to tell me not to answer."

"…'Fraid so." Now they both stared idly at the screen. Neither really wanted to continue the topic, but they couldn't let it sit.

"…Any idea why?"

"Talon. But don't you go thinking that means-"

"Jesse please." She interrupted in a firm voice. Then she sighed and shook her head. "…When did this 'Recall' happen?"

"…A few days ago."

"Well I haven't heard a peep about it, so I reckon I'm not on the list."

"Ye' but I know that wouldn't stop you from-"

"From what? Joinin' up?" She interrupted once again. Shifting in her spot, she eyed her brother. "Jesse, listen. I will never apologize for what I've done. I helped a lot of people, and that's all I could've asked for. But I didn't go searching for 'em. The people that wanted me came to _me_ , not the other way 'round. Now I've seen neither hide nor tail of my old teammates, and I've sure as hell seen _nothin'_ from the main group. I doubt they're goin' to try bringin' me in. I'm not goin' to go out of my way to join up." At her words, he let out a silent sigh of relief. But it wasn't enough.

"What if they do come to you? What'll you do then?"

"…I don't know."

"Sarah-"

"Don't you 'Sarah' me. I don't rightly know what I'll do in that case. I'm not sayin' I'll jump at the opportunity, but I'm not sayin' I'll downright turn it down either."

"Sis you've got to promise me you won't." He said, his own voice firm this time. "You've got to promise me and keep it."

"I ain't promising you a thing."

"How's that fair?"

"Because I didn't make you promise to stay home when they were offerin' you to join up with your team!" She responded hotly. "Even though it tore my heart out, I didn't force you to stay back! Even now, I ain't sayin' you've got to stay here and not go off and do this vigilante business!" Her voice was getting harsher and rougher by the moment. Despite herself, she felt her emotions coming out in a flood. "You think it's fun? You think I _enjoy_ seein' how the damn media 'n all these high'n'mighty reporters and writers drag your name through the mud? Blamin' you for things I know you wouldn't ever be doin'." Both canines, sensing her distress, moved towards her and snuggled up against her. She clutched at the mug in her hands, barely registering the heat or the pressure she was putting on it.

" _I hate it!_ I hate every one've those yellow-bellied, slimy little runts that're daring to call what you're doin' a bad thing. I hate how people think I'm disgusted to be related to you, 'n tell me- _Me! A McCree while they ain't nobody!_ \- how I should I should be ashamed of you. _Damn it Jesse,_ I'm proud you're my brother! I'm proud you're out there doin' things because I know the real you! I know you're actually out there makin' the world a better place 'n that all these stories they're making up are lies!" Tears were coming now, tracing hot paths down her cheeks.

"But even with all the pain that comes with it; even with the fact I've got to watch these cowards slander your name when they don't even know a thing about you, I would never ask you to stop. I'd never make you promise not to do somethin' that I know would help others. Because you're a good person, Jesse. You've always been a good person. Just made a couple of mistakes. You're only human; we all make 'em. I know you. _I know you_. That's why I know if I ever stopped you from helpin' others, _I'd_ never forgive me. You're the type of person who can save people, Jesse. So much as it hurts I ain't keepin' you to myself." The last bit came off slightly choked. Gently, a metal hand removed the mug from her iron grip and drew her in close. For the first time in years, he held her as she sobbed away the regrets and pent up frustration of more than a decade.

"…I'm sorry, Sarah. I…I understand. I won't make you promise not to join. All I ask is…promise me you won't die." He finally said after minutes had passed. She'd buried her face into him, stilling once her sobs had passed. Now she stirred slightly, hugging him tight and resting her head on his shoulder.

"…Only if you promise the same. And to visit more."

"…Alright. I can do that."

"Damn right you can, and damn right you better. Otherwise Talon ain't gonna be the worst thing huntin' you down." Despite the recent emotional unload, he found himself cracking a smile.

"Whoa there. You gonna go after me when just about everyone else's failed?"

"Yes, because unlike everyone else, I'm your sister."

 **—(Later that night)—**

"You just let me know if there's anythin' you need, alright?" She said while standing in the doorway.

"Understood, ma'am. This is a real nice place you've got here." He said, looking around the spare bedroom with some admiration. She only rolled her eyes.

"I ain't no 'ma'am'. And ''course it's nice. You think I'd wanna live in a dump?"

"Fair 'nough." He granted, chuckling. They shared a brief hug before she pushed him back inside.

"Now get to bed cowboy. 'N don't you take off before waking me up, ya hear?"

"I do, I do. Night sis."

"Night." With that, she shut the door and headed for her own room. Her dogs were close behind, following her into the master bedroom. The day had been an emotional roller coaster. Up's and down's had littered the reunion with her brother, but all-in-all she'd enjoyed there day together. Things almost felt normal again, back when they were a full family. Unfortunately those days were long past, but at least they still had their strong bond.

While she started to get ready for bed, a light and soft buzz caught her eye. It was coming from her cellphone. Curious, she made her way over. The name of the sender was what made her eyes go wide with shock.

 _Eddie._


End file.
